8 Kitchen Design Choices That Make the Space Look Dirtier

One of the harshest realities about home cleaning is that the job never really ends. As soon as you finish cleaning one thing, another gets dirty—and in no room is that truer than in the kitchen. Between all the cooking, the eating, and the foot traffic the space gets, a kitchen is subjected to a pretty constant flow of mess-causing activity. So, it’s important that your kitchen design can withstand all the action and stay looking nice through it all, and some features and finishes do a much better job at this than others. Designers told us the design choices that can make a kitchen look much dirtier much faster. Keep these on your what-to-avoid list for any upcoming kitchen renovations.

Matte, Solid-Colored Floors

Darci Hether, founder of a namesake interior design firm, found out the hard way that matte, solid-colored floors are a mistake in the kitchen. “Years ago, we renovated our NYC kitchen and chose a large-format porcelain tile in a mushroom color—solid, no pattern, and with a matte finish,” she says. “While I loved the scale and the subtle, earthy tone, that combination of matte and solid coloring turned out to be a nightmare. Every single water drop showed. After mopping, I’d have to towel-dry the entire floor just to avoid streaks. It was awful. Never again!”

Dark Floors

Dark floors are also notorious for never looking clean. “With dark-stained hardwood or vinyl floors, dust and pet hair stand out within minutes of cleaning,” says Thomas Borcherding, a kitchen designer, contractor, and owner of Homestar Design Remodel.

Eunice Weckesser, founder and principal designer of Crown the Cool Studios, echoed the same sentiment, explaining that she learned from personal experience after previously choosing a shiny, dark floor for her own kitchen—and she won’t make the same mistake again. “Mid tones and matte finishes are the sweet spot, they keep your kitchen looking fresh without the constant wipe down,” she says.

Ornate Cabinet Doors

If you like a more vintage character-filled look, you may be tempted to choose cabinets with lots of details and decoration, but just know that you’ll pay for it with extra cleaning time. “Carved grooves collect splatters and dust in a way flat fronts never do,” says Lauren Saab, the founder of Saab Studios, a Dallas-based design studio. “To optimize for a cleaner look, choose smooth cabinet fronts in a satin finish because they hide daily mess and wipe down easily.”

White Grout 

Putting white grout in a kitchen is like doing a magic trick—one minute it’s white, and the next minute it’s not. “White grout on a backsplash discolors quickly and is tough to keep looking fresh,” says Peggy Haddad, a Denver-based interior designer. “Off-whites or neutrals like alabaster or warm gray are smarter choices.”

Glossy Black Countertops

Almost all of the designers we consulted put glossy black countertops on their avoid-at-all-costs list. “High-gloss black countertops are beautiful but notoriously unforgiving,” says Borcherding. “Every water ring, crumb, or fingerprint shows up instantly, which means you’re wiping them down constantly.”

If you want the dramatic look of glossy black countertops without the headache, Weckesser recommends going for matte black or a detailed stone with movement that hides the mess.

Stainless Steel Appliances

Haddad says stainless steel appliances can be “just as unforgiving” as polished black countertops—unless they’re a fingerprint-resistant version.

“I have stainless steel appliances that are not fingerprint-proof, and with two little ones in the house, they require constant wiping,” she says.

Small-Tile Backsplash

A common theme here: A kitchen look you love in theory may become something you hate to deal with in reality.

“I love mosaic tile, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the kitchen, especially for the backsplash,” says Rick Berres, owner of Honey-Doers, a home services and construction company. “It looks absolutely fantastic when it’s freshly applied, but this is a space that gets splashed and stained every single day. How do you think that grout is going to look in a year? Or even in a few months? It’s a pain to clean so many tiny spaces, and there’s always going to be some schmutz left behind, making your backsplash look dirty, dingy, and old.”

Weckesser gave a similar response: “As much as I love a patterned backsplash, those tiny grout lines are a nightmare. Go for a larger tile or a slab backsplash; it’s sleek and easier to keep clean.”

All-White Kitchen

A white kitchen might evoke the idea of clean, but once again, reality can quickly turn that idea on its head. “I wanted a white kitchen because I love how bright it looks and it does make the space look larger, taller, just better,” Berres says. “But let me tell you from experience, if you’re the type of person who actually cooks, and if you like red sauce pasta as much as we do, then a white kitchen is not something I recommend. There are stains that just never come out.”